Tiger Woods holds up the Farmers Insurance trophy after winning the tournament by four strokes at 14 under par last year at Torrey Pines. / Jake Roth, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports

SAN DIEGO -- Arriving at the course with the moon still in full bloom is nothing new to Tiger Woods. Nor is it foreign to him to be the first off in the pro-am, as he was Wednesday at the Farmers Insurance Open.

And as he begins his 19th season on the PGA Tour, chasing records is natural for the world's No. 1 player. If he were to win this week at Torrey Pines, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, he would become the first to win nine professional events at a single venue. A win also would give him 80 for his career, two shy of the record held by Sam Snead.

But after being named the PGA Tour's Player of the Year for a record 11th time and notching his record 10th season with at least five wins, Woods goes into the 2014 schedule with one number in mind -- four.

That's the number of major championships Woods needs in his relentless pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record 18. Woods won his 14th and last major at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open. Some have surmised that this season is critical to his chase of Nicklaus -- and Woods has said time is no longer his ally. But his mind-set is the same.

"Looking back from the beginning of my career to now, I know that I don't have 20 years in my prime. I'm 38. I don't see being 58 and being in my prime," Woods said Wednesday after receiving his POY trophy. "But the outlook is still the same. I still prepare the same, I still work my tail off to be ready to compete at this level and beat everyone I'm playing against."

Majors to his liking this year

The venues for the majors this year set up well for Woods. He has won at Augusta National (four Masters), Hoylake (2006 British Open) and Valhalla (2000 PGA Championship) and finished tied for third in 1999 and second in 2005 at Pinehurst, site of this year's U.S. Open.

"I'm trending the right way," Woods said, smiling in the reference to Pinehurst.

But will that result in major titles?

"It's getting much harder for Tiger ... in that he's not able to close as well as he used to," NBC lead analyst and two-time major champion Johnny Miller said. "And then the guys are more heroic against him like they never were before. Guys are just saying, 'Yeah, you're Tiger Woods and you're the greatest ever, but now at your age, I can beat you.' He needs to do it in the majors."

Trevor Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters over Woods by three shots, said he would be stunned if he didn't see the old Tiger again.

"I am surprised he hasn't won a major since then just because he's that good," Immelman said. "He's played golf that some of us can only imagine. He's by far the best player of our generation.

"But one thing I have learned in my career is that you can't take this game for granted. This game doesn't care who you are. ... I think he just has to roll with it.

"He played some fantastic golf last year and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he breaks through again in a major championship."

Staying fit a priority

At least Woods doesn't have to worry about his health, unlike his girlfriend, skier Lindsey Vonn. Woods likely won't attend the Olympic Games in Sochi now that Vonn is out, recovering from knee surgery.

Vonn, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in her right knee last February and then partially tore the same ACL in November, reinjured her knee Dec. 21 in France. She had ACL reconstruction surgery Jan. 14.

"As far as seeing what she's gone through, I've been through it, only a slightly different version," said Woods, who has had four surgeries on his left knee, including reconstructive surgery in 2008 after his win in the U.S. Open. "I've never had to do it twice like this. I've had knee surgeries through the years but only had to shut it down for periods of a couple months or a month, whatever it is, and I can be back.

"But to do it again in successive years, that's tough. I only had to do it once like that. ... I sat out for nine months, I believe, almost to the day before I played again."

Still, Woods has cut back on his running to protect his knee and doesn't spend as much time in the weight room as he once did, although he's still very fit.

"The thing is, I'm still able to generate the same amount of clubhead speed as I did when I was younger. It's just that I can't do it every shot anymore," Woods said with a smile. "I don't have the rotational speed that I used to and that's a fact of aging. I am infinitely stronger than I ever used to be and more explosive in a lot of exercises that I do, but I just can't rotate like I used to.

"But I've made up for it in other areas. My body looks very different than it was when I first came out on Tour, and then understanding how to manage myself around a golf course, how to attack a golf course, how to pick it apart and dissect it.

"That's something that has happened over time. ... You're still able to be successful, but you do it a different way. You evolve as you age, and I think I've done that so far."

Mickelson has U.S. Open on his mind

So, too, has the tournament's other star headliner, Phil Mickelson. And one number stands out for Lefty this year â?? one.

A win in the U.S. Open would give Mickelson the career Grand Slam in the majors. Last year at 43, he won the British Open a month after he finished runner-up for a record sixth time in the U.S. Open.

"I love the fact that I have one tournament to go, that I have one to get that career Grand Slam," said Mickelson, a three-time winner at Torrey Pines, who started his year last week with a runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi.

"I'm not going to hide from it. ... I'm excited that the tournament that I've played some of my best golf in is the one that I haven't won, and I feel like it's just a matter of time. It may be this year at Pinehurst, it may not, but I do believe that will come.

"It's a tournament I've played too well in over the years not to finally win, and I actually believe I'll win a couple."